How to Get on Track When Your Routine is Broken

Everybody’s time gets interrupted at one point or another for various reasons. It’s just a part of life we all must accept.

But when your work day is disrupted it can be difficult to keep your productivity levels up. To help, here are some ways you can get on track when your routine is broken.

Block Out Distractions

One thing you can do to get on track when your routine is broken is to block out the distractions around you. Loud environments, phones that chime, people talking, and other noises should be avoided. If you work from home you may have to go to another room where it is quiet.

It may even be necessary to temporarily turn phones and other equipment to silent mode in order to regain your concentration. If those tactics don’t work, consider noise cancelling ear phones to help you block out noise and get back on task.

Schedule Time to Check Messages

Another way you can get back on track when your routine is broken is to schedule breaks to check messages and social media. This includes texts, emails, and any other kinds of messages you receive. Although these messages could be important so is getting back to regular work patterns.

Using a designated break time and looking at your messages all at once saves time. Each time you are interrupted it takes a minute or two to reorient yourself to what you were doing beforehand. The more often this happens the more time you lose from your day.

If you think it is taking a lot of time to check your messages, set a timer to help you move through them faster.

Follow Your Usual Patterns

To get on track when your routine is broken you should follow your usual work patterns. Even if you begin your day several hours late, do the same things in the same order.

As an example, start by checking your messages and looking at your calendar. Respond to your emails, grab your coffee or water, and settle down to work at you normally would.

Keeping your work methodical without deviating from what you normally do can help get things accomplished faster.

Use Your Calendar

You can use your calendar to its full potential to help you get on track when your routine is broken. Instead of only scheduling appointments and other important meetings and events, block out other things as well.

For example, schedule time for an important project or to catch up on paperwork. Use it to get your “To do” list finished each day by scheduling tasks on your calendar so you don’t forget about them.

You can also set up calendar reminders and recurring events to help you accomplish more when you’ve gotten off track. As reminders go off it’s like a little warning bell that you need to finish what you are doing and move on to the next duty. Use them to avoid wasting time or dragging out jobs when you know you have more in line to do.

Be sure to explore your calendar app fully and use the tools available to organize your day and get more done.

Don’t Give Up

Don’t give up just because your routine is broken one day out of the week or even a full week out of a month. That’s the easy path to take to not be successful.

To be your most productive, best self in your work as well as home life you have to work at it. It can be hard to get back in routine the first few hours or days after a lapse. But the end results are good habits and better productivity.

Stick with it and allow yourself the flexibility to mess up or get out of routine occasionally.

It is true that everyone’s routine gets disrupted now and then. When it happens, use these tips to get on track and move on.